In April of ’94 I broke up with one girlfriend and had another one in July. Both girls were in (or near) my hometown, whereas I went to university about an hour away in Guelph. So there was a lot of commuting involved, especially with girl number two (we became quite serious). Lots of commuting meant a lot of radio. And this is when I started to grow tired of classic rock (gasp – but it was just temporary, don’t worry!) and move more fully into modern alternative rock and grunge.
In the fall I moved in with three buddies and formed lasting friendships with all of them. A lot of this music reminds me of those times, though much of it was really enjoyed in 1995 even if it was released in 1994.
This year was home to several of my favorite 10 albums (just a guess) of all time. I know I would have Live’s Throwing Copper on there. And The Offspring’s Smash. And Weezer’s blue album. And in my favorite 20 of all time, I am certain Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy gets in there as well as the Hip’s Day for Night. I’m also guessing that albums released that year from Hole, Cranberries, Bush and Green Day would get into my favorite 30 of all time. This year marks the beginning of six to eight years in which music was the biggest part of my life. It’s always been huge, but during those years it meant the world to me.
With 179 songs ranked, this tops 1989 when I had 150 and includes 79 songs marked “Great” or better.
Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because we can all agree that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow – if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:
Awesome
Great
Solid
Not Bad
…with some inter-group splitting.
After I list videos of the best from that year, I’ll have the chart with all the songs (bigger list) that I enjoyed from 1994. This year’s list is the biggest of all the years I review, and 81 videos of the ‘Great’ and ‘Awesome’ ranked songs are just too many to post. So my playlist will only include the best of the best from that year.
31 Truly Awesome Songs from 1994
Starseed – Our Lady Peace
Basket Case – Green Day
When I Come Around – Green Day
Doll Parts – Hole
Violet – Hole
Let Her Cry – Hootie & the Blowfish
Nothingman – Pearl Jam
Come Out And Play – The Offspring
Gotta Get Away – The Offspring
You Don’t Know How It Feels – Tom Petty
Grace, Too – The Tragically Hip
Yawning or Snarling – The Tragically Hip
Inevitability of Death – The Tragically Hip
Undone – The Sweater Song – Weezer
Plateau – Nirvana
Where Did You Sleep Last Night – Nirvana
The Man Who Sold the World – Nirvana
Lake of Fire – Nirvana
Deuces Are Wild – Aerosmith
Immortality – Pearl Jam
Only In Dreams – Weezer
My Name Is Jonas – Weezer
No Excuses – Alice in Chains
Glycerine – Bush
Hold My Hand – Hootie & the Blowfish
Lightning Crashes – Live
Hurt – Nine Inch Nails
Better Man – Pearl Jam
Strange Currencies – R.E.M.
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? – R.E.M.
Self Esteem – The Offspring
I put this together in a YouTube playlist for your listening convenience here.
Here is the complete list of my favorites from 1994:
| Awesome – 1 | No Excuses | – | Alice in Chains |
| Awesome – 1 | Glycerine | – | Bush |
| Awesome – 1 | Hold My Hand | – | Hootie & the Blowfish |
| Awesome – 1 | Lightning Crashes | – | Live |
| Awesome – 1 | Hurt | – | Nine Inch Nails |
| Awesome – 1 | Better Man | – | Pearl Jam |
| Awesome – 1 | Strange Currencies | – | R.E.M. |
| Awesome – 1 | What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? | – | R.E.M. |
| Awesome – 1 | Self Esteem | – | The Offspring |
| Awesome – 1 | Undone – The Sweater Song | – | Weezer |
| Awesome – 1 | Gotta Get Away | – | The Offspring |
| Awesome – 1 | You Don’t Know How It Feels | – | Tom Petty |
| Awesome – 13 | Starseed | – | Our Lady Peace |
| Awesome – 13 | Basket Case | – | Green Day |
| Awesome – 13 | When I Come Around | – | Green Day |
| Awesome – 13 | Doll Parts | – | Hole |
| Awesome – 13 | Violet | – | Hole |
| Awesome – 13 | Let Her Cry | – | Hootie & the Blowfish |
| Awesome – 13 | Nothingman | – | Pearl Jam |
| Awesome – 13 | Come Out And Play | – | The Offspring |
| Awesome – 13 | Grace, Too | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Awesome – 13 | Yawning or Snarling | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Awesome – 13 | Inevitability of Death | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Awesome – 13 | Plateau | – | Nirvana |
| Awesome – 13 | Where Did You Sleep Last Night | – | Nirvana |
| Awesome – 13 | The Man Who Sold the World | – | Nirvana |
| Awesome – 13 | Lake of Fire | – | Nirvana |
| Awesome – 13 | Deuces Are Wild | – | Aerosmith |
| Awesome – 13 | Immortality | – | Pearl Jam |
| Awesome – 13 | Only In Dreams | – | Weezer |
| Awesome – 13 | My Name Is Jonas | – | Weezer |
| Great – 32 | F.O.D. | – | Green Day |
| Great – 32 | She | – | Green Day |
| Great – 32 | Miss World | – | Hole |
| Great – 32 | I Alone | – | Live |
| Great – 32 | Closer | – | Nine Inch Nails |
| Great – 32 | Supersonic | – | Oasis |
| Great – 32 | Jesus Don’t Want Me for a Sunbeam | – | Nirvana |
| Great – 32 | Oh, Me | – | Nirvana |
| Great – 32 | Black Hole Sun | – | Soundgarden |
| Great – 32 | Interstate Love Song | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Great – 32 | Zombie | – | The Cranberries |
| Great – 32 | Thugs | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Great – 32 | Buddy Holly | – | Weezer |
| Great – 32 | Say It Ain’t So | – | Weezer |
| Great – 32 | Sure Shot | – | Beastie Boys |
| Great – 32 | Sabotage | – | Beastie Boys |
| Great – 32 | Loser | – | Beck |
| Great – 32 | Comedown | – | Bush |
| Great – 32 | Little Things | – | Bush |
| Great – 32 | Machinehead | – | Bush |
| Great – 32 | Allison Road | – | Gin Blossoms |
| Great – 32 | Pillar Of Davidson | – | Live |
| Great – 32 | Push | – | Moist |
| Great – 32 | Live Forever | – | Oasis |
| Great – 32 | Tomorrow | – | Silverchair |
| Great – 32 | Spoonman | – | Soundgarden |
| Great – 32 | Big Empty | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Great – 32 | Vasoline | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Great – 32 | Free As A Bird | – | The Beatles |
| Great – 32 | Ode To My Family | – | The Cranberries |
| Great – 32 | Bad Habit | – | The Offspring |
| Great – 32 | It’ll Be a Long Time | – | The Offspring |
| Great – 32 | Scared | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Great – 32 | In The Garage | – | Weezer |
| Great – 32 | Surf Wax America | – | Weezer |
| Great – 32 | Selling the Drama | – | Live |
| Great – 68 | Satellite | – | Dave Matthews Band |
| Great – 68 | I Stay Away | – | Alice in Chains |
| Great – 68 | Everything Zen | – | Bush |
| Great – 68 | Chump | – | Green Day |
| Great – 68 | Longview | – | Green Day |
| Great – 68 | Welcome To Paradise | – | Green Day |
| Great – 68 | All Over You | – | Live |
| Great – 68 | Silver | – | Moist |
| Great – 68 | Corduroy | – | Pearl Jam |
| Great – 68 | Crush With Eyeliner | – | R.E.M. |
| Great – 68 | Fell On Black Days | – | Soundgarden |
| Great – 68 | Possum Kingdom | – | Toadies |
| Great – 68 | Crazy Mary | – | Victoria Williams |
| Great – 68 | Dissident | – | Pearl Jam |
| Solid – 82 | Get It Together | – | Beastie Boys |
| Solid – 82 | Love Is All Around Me | – | Wet Wet Wet |
| Solid – 82 | Waitress | – | Live |
| Solid – 82 | Hope | – | Our Lady Peace |
| Solid – 82 | Naveed | – | Our Lady Peace |
| Solid – 82 | Ocean Pearl | – | 54-40 |
| Solid – 82 | Hasn’t Hit Me Yet | – | Blue Rodeo |
| Solid – 82 | Run-Around | – | Blues Traveler |
| Solid – 82 | Girls And Boys | – | Blur |
| Solid – 82 | Alien | – | Bush |
| Solid – 82 | Not For You | – | Pearl Jam |
| Solid – 82 | What Happened to You | – | The Offspring |
| Solid – 82 | Holiday | – | Weezer |
| Solid – 82 | Always | – | Bon Jovi |
| Solid – 82 | What Would You Say | – | Dave Matthews Band |
| Solid – 82 | New Age Girl | – | Deadeye Dick |
| Solid – 82 | Connection | – | Elastica |
| Solid – 82 | Bang and Blame | – | R.E.M. |
| Solid – 82 | Cotton Eye Joe | – | Rednex |
| Solid – 82 | Greasy Jungle | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Solid – 82 | Nautical Disaster | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Solid – 82 | Mykel And Carli | – | Weezer |
| Solid – 82 | Seether | – | Veruca Salt |
| Solid – 82 | Give It Up | – | Public Enemy |
| Solid – 106 | Landslide | – | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Solid – 106 | Supersatellite | – | Our Lady Peace |
| Solid – 106 | Blame Your Parents | – | 54-40 |
| Solid – 106 | Nutshell | – | Alice in Chains |
| Solid – 106 | Jane | – | Barenaked Ladies |
| Solid – 106 | Pay No Mind (Snoozer) | – | Beck |
| Solid – 106 | The Power of Love | – | Celine Dion |
| Solid – 106 | Goodnight Good Guy | – | Collective Soul |
| Solid – 106 | Return To Innocence | – | Enigma |
| Solid – 106 | Softer Softest | – | Hole |
| Solid – 106 | Only Wanna Be with You | – | Hootie & the Blowfish |
| Solid – 106 | Time | – | Hootie & the Blowfish |
| Solid – 106 | Stay | – | Lisa Loeb |
| Solid – 106 | Shit Towne | – | Live |
| Solid – 106 | Backwater | – | Meat Puppets |
| Solid – 106 | I Can’t Be With You | – | The Cranberries |
| Solid – 106 | Nitro | – | The Offspring |
| Solid – 106 | Waterfalls | – | TLC |
| Solid – 106 | You Wreck Me | – | Tom Petty |
| Solid – 106 | Cornflake Girl | – | Tori Amos |
| Solid – 106 | Daredevil | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Solid – 106 | So Hard Done By | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Solid – 106 | An Inch an Hour | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Solid – 106 | Titanic Terrarium | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Solid – 106 | Wild Night | – | John Mellencamp |
| Solid – 106 | Unglued | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Not Bad – 132 | I Swear | – | All-4-One |
| Not Bad – 132 | Fade Into You | – | Mazzy Star |
| Not Bad – 132 | Get Off This | – | Cracker |
| Not Bad – 132 | Omaha Stylee | – | 311 |
| Not Bad – 132 | Blind Man | – | Aerosmith |
| Not Bad – 132 | A Girl Like You | – | Edwyn Collins |
| Not Bad – 132 | Tremor Christ | – | Pearl Jam |
| Not Bad – 132 | Down With Disease | – | Phish |
| Not Bad – 132 | Kiss From A Rose | – | Seal |
| Not Bad – 132 | Coax Me | – | Sloan |
| Not Bad – 132 | The Day I Tried To Live | – | Soundgarden |
| Not Bad – 132 | Still Remains | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Not Bad – 132 | Empty | – | The Cranberries |
| Not Bad – 132 | Genocide | – | The Offspring |
| Not Bad – 132 | Save Me | – | The Tea Party |
| Not Bad – 132 | Emergency | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Not Bad – 132 | Sunshine Country | – | Victoria Williams |
| Not Bad – 132 | The World Has Turned And Left Me Here | – | Weezer |
| Not Bad – 132 | Hook | – | Blues Traveler |
| Not Bad – 132 | Until I Fall Away | – | Gin Blossoms |
| Not Bad – 132 | Pulling Teeth | – | Green Day |
| Not Bad – 132 | Horse | – | Live |
| Not Bad – 132 | Top | – | Live |
| Not Bad – 132 | White, Discussion | – | Live |
| Not Bad – 132 | River Of Deceit | – | Mad Season |
| Not Bad – 132 | Red Right Hand | – | Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds |
| Not Bad – 132 | Pretty Penny | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Not Bad – 132 | Big Poppa | – | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| Not Bad – 132 | Something to Believe In | – | The Offspring |
| Not Bad – 132 | Boom Boom Boom | – | The Outhere Brothers |
| Not Bad – 132 | Love Spreads | – | The Stone Roses |
| Not Bad – 132 | Impossibilium | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Not Bad – 132 | Headline News | – | Weird Al Yankovic |
| Not Bad – 132 | Assoholic | – | 54-40 |
| Not Bad – 132 | 5 Days In May | – | Blue Rodeo |
| Not Bad – 132 | Bad Timing | – | Blue Rodeo |
| Not Bad – 132 | Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night | – | Bon Jovi |
| Not Bad – 132 | I’ll Make Love To You | – | Boyz II Men |
| Not Bad – 132 | Please Forgive Me | – | Bryan Adams |
| Not Bad – 132 | All For Love | – | Byan Adams/Stewart/Sting |
| Not Bad – 132 | Afternoons and Coffeespoons | – | Crash Test Dummies |
| Not Bad – 132 | Sassafrass Roots | – | Green Day |
| Not Bad – 132 | Love, Love, Love | – | Hemingway Corner |
| Not Bad – 132 | I Think That I Would Die | – | Hole |
| Not Bad – 132 | Iris | – | Live |
| Not Bad – 132 | T.B.D. | – | Live |
| Not Bad – 132 | I’ll Remember | – | Madonna |
| Not Bad – 132 | Reptile | – | Nine Inch Nails |
| Not Bad – 132 | Shakermaker | – | Oasis |
| Not Bad – 132 | The Most Beautiful Girl In The World | – | Prince |
| Not Bad – 132 | Nobody’s Hero | – | Rush |
| Not Bad – 132 | Kitchenware and Candy Bars | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Not Bad – 132 | Ridiculous Thoughts | – | The Cranberries |
| Not Bad – 132 | One More Chance | – | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| Not Bad – 132 | Killboy Powerhead | – | The Offspring |
| Not Bad – 132 | Not the One | – | The Offspring |
| Not Bad – 132 | Boneyard Tree | – | The Watchmen |
| Not Bad – 132 | Fire in the Hole | – | The Tragically Hip |
| Not Bad – 132 | Saturday Night | – | Whigfield |
| Not Bad – 132 | Tones of Home | – | Blind Melon |
| Not Bad – 132 | Don’t Turn Around | – | Ace of Base |
Dobber's Take 
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